Valve structure



March 27, 1934.

E. W. O"MAL LEY VALVE STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 21, 1932 fnz/eru or gdwczrd Z4 0 (2226 Patented Mar. 27, 1934 l I i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,952,726 VALVE STRUCTURE Edward W. OMalley, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 21, 1932, Serial No. 648,145

2 Claims. (Cl. 251-27) This invention relates to valve structures and Figure 2 is an enlarged axial sectional view of more particularly to valve structures of the type valve parts embodying my invention as shown in generally known as globe valves. Figure 1; and

The invention is of particular utility in con- Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2'but illusnection with valves for railroad locomotives, in trating'a different operative position of the parts which service new and more severe requirements when some of the face members are removed. are constantly being imposed upon valve struc- In the illustrative embodiment, I have shown, tures. Whereas, a few years ago the average run in general, a portion of a valve structure 1 havof a locomotive was only one hundred miles, presing the usual casing 2,- shown in broken lines, and 10 ent day engines are being built to make a conwhich may include suitable operating mechanism, tinuous run of five hundred or even a thousand such as a hand-wheel or the like (not shown) miles. The steam pressures have also been inappropriately connected with the threaded valve creased and even doubled. Consequently, a high stem 3: As is well known in the art, thevalve degree of durability, efliciency and facility for stem 3 may pass threadedly through a bonnet 4, quick repair is more desirable than ever'before, also shown in broken lines, which may be dein valves for this service. tached from the casing 2 to afford access to the Valve structures with removable wearing surinterior of the casing. By rotation of the valve faces have been well known hitherto, but these stem in the bonnet 4, the stem may be reciprohave been objectionable since, when one of the cated. mating surfaces has been deteriorated, the other In this instance the casing 2, being for what 76 is usually deteriorated also, and to restore the is commonly known as a globe valve, is provided valve structure to perfect condition, both of these centrally thereof with an integral web 5 which surfaces should be replaced. Even where this is divides the casing into two chambers 6 and 7, possible and expected, it is diflicult to get the ordiserved respectively by ports 8 and 9, one of which 2 nary workmen to do it. They can be readily 'may be the inlet and the other the outlet port for 5 taught to replace one of the surfaces but not both the valve structure.

of them. The web 5 has a fluid passage 10 therethrough Among other objects, the present invention formed by a central aperture 11 in the web and aims to provide an improved and economical this aperture is adapted to be closed by the valve valve structure in which one of the mating valve when the valve head 12 is moved into the passage members, for example, the valve seat is formed 10 by the valve stem 3 as explained. The valve of a material of such extreme-hardness that it head'12 is imperforate, but may have an interiorly is practically indestructible and will not be afthreaded socket portion 12a into which the valve fected by the usual causes which efiect deteriorastem 3 is screwed to connect the valve and stem tion of conventional valve seats, while the other together. A lock nut 12b may assist in maintain- 35 valve member, the valve itself for example, is ing a secure and rigid connection between the provided with a replaceable face of a relatively valve and the stem. softer material cooperating with the valve seat. In accordance with my invention, I provide a A further object of the invention is to provide valve seat 13 in the passage 10 formed by grinda plurality of tapered face members for the valve ing a tapered annular surface upon the inner peso arranged as to cooperate successively with a riphery of a, valve seat member here represented tapered armular valve seat, as each face member by the seamless insert ring 14 which is formed of becomes worn and is removed, thus combining an extremely hard and substantially non-corthe advantageous features of tapered mating rodible material, desirably cold drawn nickel. members with the replaceable feature of my in- As here shown, the insert ring 14 may be sup- 5 vention, and insuring a tight seal at all times. ported in the passage 10 by the web 5 through Other objects and advantages will be apparent the intermediation of a brass bushing 15, which from the following description, taken together may be readily threaded as at 16 to be screwed with the accompanying drawing showing an illustightlyinto the aperture 11 which may be circular trative embodiment of the invention, in whichand threaded correspondingly to receive the Figure 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in secbushing, suitable means being provided for setion and partly in elevation, illustrating an applicuring a fluid tight joint at this point. Such cation of the invention in a valve structure, a conmeans may include a shoulder 17 on the bushing ventional portion of which is shown in broken which is arranged to tightly abut the margin of 5 lines; the aperture 11. Thus the bushing 15, and the ring 14 carried thereby, margin the passage 10 concentrically with the axis of the valve head 12. The bushing 15 may have one or more notches 18 therein for the insertion of a tool for manipulating the bushing. The ring 14 may be secured in the bushing 15 by counterboring the bushing as at 19 to receive the ring and rolling a margin 20 of the bushing over the upper edge of the ring which may be chamfered to permit this.- The structural details of the insert ring 14 and bushing 15 are further describedand claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 640,452, filed October 31, 1932.

Further in accordance with my present invention, the valve head 12 is provided with a tapered annular replaceable face 21 of relatively soft material, say of steel of average hardness, adapted to mate and cooperate with the valve seat 13. The similarly tapered surfaces 13 and 21 permit the valve and valve seat to mate with a desirable plug-and-socket contact, or wedge action, while the ring 14 advantageously has the necessary strength to withstand this wedging action.

My invention contemplates furthermore a plurality of face members carried by the valve head 12 and each having a face similar to the face 21. To accomplish this I provide a number of, in this instance three, dish-shaped face members 22, 23 and 24, each face member embodying a fiat plate portion 25 and an annular tapered face portion 26 directed away from the plate portion at an angle corresponding to the angle of the valve seat 13 to the axis of the valve. In order to nest these face members compactly upon the valve head 12, it is necessary that they be of different diameters. As here shown, the member 23 is just enough smaller than the member 22 to telescope within the latter and have snug contact throughout the concave interior of the member 22. Similarly, the member 24 is enough smaller than the member 23 to telescope therewithin with contact throughout. Lastly the valve head 12 itself has an annular tapered surface 27 and an annular shoulder 28 which fits snugly within the member 24, which is thus nearest the valve, having its plate portion abutting the shoulder 28 and its face portion abutting the surface 27. The seat 13 and the tapered annular face portions of the members 22, 23 and 24 desirably form a rather sharp angle with the axis of the valve to enhance the plug effect referred to.

To retain one or all of the face members 22,

23 and 24 in this described position upon the valve, the valve as here shown has an axial extension or stud 29 which is threaded as at 30 to have screwed thereon a retaining nut 31. The retaining nut 31 is provided with a radially extending annular flange '32 which may be screwed into abutment with the plate portion of one of the face members 22, 23 or 24 to clamp these members either singly or collectively against the shoulder 28 and thus retain them in appropriate position upon the valve head. To pass over the stud 29 the face members 22, 23 and 24 have central circular co-equal perforations 33 therein which, after beingpassed over the stud 29, slip snugly onto a circular boss 34 formed on the valve head 12 between the shoulder 28 and the stud 29.

As shown in Figure 2, the valve head 12 is moved into closing position with respect to the passage 10 and the face 21 of the face member 24 is in snug relation with the valve seat 13. If during this closing movement of the valve a particle of foreign matter be lodged between the surfaces 21 and 13, in prior art structures, both of these surfaces would normally be worn thereby, but by the provisions of my invention, the hard seat 13 will not be worn and the wear, if any, will fall upon the relatively softer surface 21 which is replaceable. Thus only one of the mating valve surfaces requires attention. To effect this, the nut 31 may be unscrewed from off the stud 29, the face member 22 removed from the valve and discarded, and the nut 31 then screwed back upon the stud to clamp the remaining members 23 and 24 in position. When the valve is moved next into closing position a surface on the member 23, similar to the surface 21 on the member 22, will mate with the seat 13. Since the member 23 is of smaller diameter than the member 22, the valve head 12 will be moved a greater distance through the passage 10 to permit the face member 23 to snugly engage the valve seat, which it will do at a point where the valve seat is more contracted than in the case of the face member 22. Similarly, when the face member 23 becomes worn or deteriorated in any way, it may be similarly removed and discarded and the valve has still another mating surface provided by the face member 24 which snugly contacts with the seat 13 upon moving of the valve still further into the passage 10 as shown in Figure 3.

To permit the flange 32 of the nut 31 to clamp any number less than all of the face members securely on the valve, the nut may be axially recessed as at 35 to permit the flange 32 to slide over the boss 34 on the valve as best shown in Figure 3.

If desired the ring 14 may be beveled as at 36 away from the seat 13 to insure or further enhance the plug or wedge engagement of the valve therewith.

So constructed and arranged, I have made possible aneconomical valve structure with mating valve members, one of which is so hard and tough that it cannot be readily machined or screw-threaded, but may be ground to provide a highly eflicient valve seat thereon, which is substantially indestructible, while at the same time, I have combined therewith a valve having a plurality of successively removable face members.

As at present advised, there is a still further cooperation between these elements as employed in my novel structure, in that if the softer surface 21 becomes scored or deteriorated, the very much harder surface 13 may desirably tend to grind down the surface 21 again to a true mating surface, since the valve contacts with the seat 13 by a helical movement due to the rotative as well as reciprocal action of the stem 3.

As described and claimed in my copending application hereinbefore referred to, the insert ring 14 is conveniently produced by cold drawing seamless nickel chrome tubes, which may be obtained commercially, to correct size inside and out for asparticular valve structure, the cold drawn tube, being then sawed into rings and ground to the contour shown in the drawing as already explained. A preferred composition may contain 88. per cent nickel and 12 per cent chrome.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a valve structure' comprising, in combination, a casing; a bushing secured therein; a valve seat member carried by said bushing, said seat member embodying an annulus of material relatively harder than said bushing and having an annular tapered seat; a valve head carrying a plurality of removable dish-shape face members of relatively soft material, each face member embodying a flat plate portion and an annular tapered face portion for cooperating with the seat, said face members being of different diameters to nest one within the other, the one nearest said valve head being of smallest diameter and the valve head having surfaces mating with the concave interior of said nearest face member; and means for clamping the face members to the valve head.

2. In a valve structure, the combination including a fluid passage; an annular tapered valve seat in said passage; a valve head reciprocable in said passage, said valve head having a threaded stud portion passing centrally through said annular seat and an annular face tapered to correspond with said seat together with an annular shoulder between said stud portion and said face portion; a plurality of replaceable dish-shaped face members each face member having a flat plate portion and an annular tapered face portion for cooperating with the seat, said face members being of different diameters to nest one within the other, the face member of smallest diameter being nearest the valve head and having its plate portion abutting the shoulder of the valve head and its face portion abutting the face portion of the valve head; and a clamping nut threaded on the valve head stud and provided with an annular flange clamping the plate portions of said face members against said shoulder.

EDWARD W. OMALLEY. 

